Cod with Lemon Butter Pan Sauce
Cod fillets cooked until golden, then finished in a quick lemon butter sauce built from the pan fond. Served with boiled potatoes and tender green beans for a high-protein dinner.
- Total
- 35 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 25
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Pan sauce
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Put the pommes de terre in a medium pot, cover with cold water by 3 cm, and add 0.5 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until a knife slides in with no resistance.
~18 min
Starting potatoes in cold water ensures even cooking from the outside in, preventing a raw center.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the potatoes boil, trim the ends of the haricots verts and cut the citron in half.
~4 min
-
Add the haricots verts to the boiling potato pot for the last 4 minutes, until bright green and just tender but still with a slight bite. Drain everything and set aside, keeping the pot warm.
~4 min
Adding green beans at the end keeps them bright green and crisp-tender, as overcooking dulls color and texture.
-
Pat the filet de cabillaud completely dry with paper towels and season both sides with the remaining 0.5 tsp salt and the black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high until shimmering. Lay the fillets in, skin side down if present, and cook undisturbed for 4 minutes until the underside is deep golden. Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the fish flakes easily and reaches 63°C in the centre. Transfer to a warm plate.
~7 min
Drying the fish ensures a golden crust, as moisture steams rather than sears, and cooking to 63°C guarantees safe, flaky doneness.
Searing Pat fish dry and sear undisturbed in a hot pan to develop a golden crust; avoid moving it too early or the fish will stick and tear.
-
Lower the heat to medium. Add the beurre to the hot pan and let it melt and foam for 30 seconds, scraping up the browned bits with a spoon. Squeeze in the juice of the citron half, swirl for 30 seconds until the sauce is glossy and slightly thickened, then taste and adjust salt.
~2 min
The butter emulsifies with lemon juice and pan fond, creating a glossy sauce that clings to the fish.
Pan sauce Deglaze the pan with butter and lemon juice, scraping up fond to build a glossy sauce; swirl constantly to emulsify and prevent splitting.
-
Return the cod to the pan and spoon the lemon butter sauce over the fillets. Serve immediately with the boiled pommes de terre and haricots verts, with the remaining citron half cut into wedges on the side.
~2 min